How to Make Striped Curtains

Finding horizontal striped curtains in the stores may very well be the hardest task out there. That is why I decided to make my own. Using pre-made curtain panels!

When I made my dining curtains I didn’t plan on making a tutorial so I didn’t take any photos of the actual process. It was my first time making a pattern so bold, and honestly I wasn’t sure if they would turn out. I’ve received many comments on them and so I thought I’d do a post and let you know a how about them.I have been wanting drapes like these for a long time, but never saw any in the stores. WHY IS THAT?!? With as many of us who love this type of pattern, you think they would cue in on that, but they haven’t. At least not that I have seen.

I searched online all over the place as well and found a set of black and white ones that I could have custom ordered for over $300. Now, it is a large door and taller than a standard sliding glass door, but it isn’t worth that much to me.

And so I decided to make them.

Our sliding door is taller than most so I had to make a few adjustments. I went to Target and bought the tallest white drape set they had and 3 blue curtain panels as well. All panels were 95″, I needed the finished curtains to be 104″ for my large sliding door, but since I was going to add stripes to them anyways I could lengthen them later.
I took the total length that I needed (104″) and divided it by the number of stripes I wanted in the end.
I figured I would need about 11 stripes about 10″ tall to account for seam allowances.

I left the white panels as is and cut the blue panels into 10″ strips.

I ironed a narrow hem (1/4″) around each blue piece, then pinned it to the white drapes.

Since I needed to create longer drapes for my extra tall door, my first stripe was sewn to the top to extend the length of the panel. The second drape was sewn directly on top of the white curtain panel about 9.5″ below the first one. Then I top stitched all the way around. I continued that process all the way down to the bottom. Simply sewing the blue panels on top of the pre-made white ones.

As you can see, they ended up being a bit too long so the last strip against the floor is about 2″shorter than the rest since I had to hem them a bit more.

They are hung with curtain clips, pinched to the back every few inches to make them look pleated. Easy!

I am very happy with how they turned out. Custom and totally original with the slate blue/white combo, but I was still able to take some short cuts by using pre-made curtains from Target!

Comments

Great idea to sew the stripes on top of the ready made curtains. But, I would be bothered by the section at the bottom where the light is shining through – as the extra length had been added at the top this section could just be cut off and both fabrics turned under and stitched at the right length and so no hem showing. I might share this idea with my new-to-sewing niece. My kids have grown up so I have the time to fuss a bit over things.

Janine, there is method in my madness. My husband had a meeting at our house so I had been cleaning. I decided the next morning would be the perfect time to take curtain pics too since it was still clean!

Your curtains look fabulous! I love how you can take a few things and totally remake them to what you need! I’m always checking in with your blog and you are always amazing me with what you do. Thanks for all you do and show!

Brandy, you just absolutely made my day. I have wanted brown and white striped curtains for AGES and can’t find either curtains or striped fabric ANYWHERE! This tutorial is perfect. By next weekend, I’ll finally have my curtains!!

Hi Annie!
This table was my grandparent’s table. They bought it in the 1950s. My mother inherited it when they passed away and let us have it in our home. I’m not sure where to look for one like it except for Craigslist since it is vintage. Sorry I couldn’t be more help here.

Thanks anyway! Your room looks great, and the table is awesome! I’m sure there are some great stories that have been told around that table! FYI if you look up “diner tables” there are similar tables. Thanks again!

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[…] fun rugs in their stores too for around the same price. I shared a quick description of how I DIY Horizontal Striped Curtains last fall. I needed something extra tall and didn’t want to pay for custom curtains. These […]

About Me

I'm Brandy: Mother to 4 and creative enthusiast. Having grown up with creative influences around me, I have a deep appreciation for all things handmade. When given the choice between a good book or a craft project, the scissors and glue sticks win every time. Click here to read more about me and how Gluesticks came about! Read More…

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